Governor Makinde flags-off construction of Oyo state gas project 

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has flagged-off the construction of the Oyo State Government (OYSG)-Shell Nigeria Gas Ltd (SNG) project, for building a Pressure Reduction & Metering Station (PRMS), to create a new gas distribution infrastructure network in the state.

While performing the groundbreaking ceremony of the Gas Infrastructure Development and Distribution Project, held at Kilometre 10, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ibadan, the governor said that in order to engineer a modern Oyo State, it needed to engage the private sector and development agencies.

He stated that he had been running an inclusive government focused on building infrastructure that targets economic growth, affirming that projects embarked upon by his administration deliberately cut across all zones of the state, while having direct impact on all strata of the society.

Makinde disclosed that when completed, the gas infrastructure project would deliver gas to industrial, manufacturing and commercial companies, while also serving emerging industrial corridors and industrial parks/zones, Independent Power Projects and providing stable power generation for industrial and residential use within the state.

He said “Back in 2019, when we came into office, four years seemed like such a long time to many people. But we knew how short four years would be because of how much work we had to do. Our infrastructure deficit was huge. At the same time, resources were dwindling. Yet, we kept in clear focus the task of ensuring that Oyo State lived up to its moniker, ‘Pacesetter State’.

“We knew that to engineer a modern Oyo State, we must engage the private sector and development agencies. And now, look how far we have come. We have run very inclusive governance. Whether in Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun, Oyo or even Ibarapa, you can point to state government projects in your zone,” the governor declared.

Makinde, who stated that he was glad that another milestone was being added to the numerous achievements already recorded by his administration, revealed that the project would be funded by SNG on a Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer (BOOT) basis and SNG would transfer the infrastructure to Oyo State after 15 years, saying his administration had always ensured that all projects done were interconnected.

He disclosed that in the bid to drive the state’s economy through agriculture, instead of buying fertiliser and other inputs and distributing them phantom farmers, his administration took the infrastructure approach by building roads needed to link farming communities to markets, attracted big businesses willing to work with the farmers as off-takers and at the same time subscribed to donor-assisted agricultural programmes, thereby linking agriculture to road construction and rural development.

Makinde explained that the gas infrastructure project is linked to the state’s ‘Light up Oyo’ project, saying he was confident that he would commission the project because the people of Oyo State would re-elect him for another four years of sustainable development.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Temilolu Ashamu, said the state would use gas to drive large scale development and get Oyo State ahead of the curve.

The Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Gas, Mr Ed Ubong, stated that the project would pump the first gas in the first quarter of 2024, adding that the company had already developed a gas master plan that would take gas to all corridors of Oyo State.

“I was just discussing this with the governor that there is a chance that by next year, that first gas will start flowing here in Oyo. It will be in phases. We would carry out what we call an early phase where gas will be delivered virtually,” Ubong explained.